Walking in the Spirit by Sara Hobbs

This is going to post under Curt's name, but it's really me.  I've only got an iPad and it's pretty cumbersome to use on this forum.

I recently read a book by an Arkansas pastor (Rod Loy) called "Immediate Obedience".  His focus was more on listening to the Spirit and following the little nudges (kind of like Wilkerson described when he told the story of being in the car and picking out a cassette tape, then another one, then the Spirit told him to pull over and call the phone number).  I've been really challenged by the stories.  Sometimes people got saved, sometimes other things happened, but I think it's important to "be in tune" with the Spirit.  It's also challenging!  There's a balance between "Holy Spirit, what do I wear today?" and "Holy Spirit, should we pick up that hitch-hiker?"  (Actually, sometimes it really does matter what you wear that day, so you always have to be listening.)  However, if my kids were constantly asking me what they should do, it would get a bit tiresome.  I think that as we mature in our Christian walk, we really do have the mind of Christ, and we know what is right.  If we are constantly open to the Holy Spirit, He can lead us in large and small matters.  Dallas Willard (who was recommended to us by Anita Koeshall and we really like his stuff!) would say that God wants us to grow to the point where we can do what WE want.  That would be because what WE want is also exactly what GOD wants for us.  Warren, I'm also reading "Spirit of the Disciplines" and I recommend it because I don't feel like I'm adequately explaining the concept.  By the way, he would also say that fasting is definitely a way to get to the place where what we want is what God wants for us.

I don't feel like I could adequately explain it either, but what I'm getting from Willard is that if Jesus lived a life devoted to certain disciplines, then how much more do we need to. He presents it more as a lifestyle we need to adopt than something extra added on. I thought Wilkerson's emphasis on "walking in the Spirit" complemented my reading in Willard. Walking in the Spirit is a lifestyle of obedience, but the disciplines allow us to "see" the cloud and fire, to "hear" the still small voice.
What I'm taking away from this week is the need to adjust my lifestyle to include more time fasting, and other disciplines, not just when there is a need for direction or something else.
We are critical of people that only pray or come to church when they have a problem or need, yet maybe we've been doing the same thing with fasting. I've really been challenged to adjust my lifestyle and schedule through this week's experience.

Wow, Warren! The thought that we only fast and pray when we're seeking something (and that being like people who only come to church when they have needs) is uber-convicting! Twist the knife, man. That's something to really pray about. One of the things in the Dallas Willard book (I think it's this one) that may be helpful as I think about this is when he talks about finding the right spiritual discipline to develop the area that is lacking in your life. For instance, I think that the disciplines of silence and solitude may be even more effective than fasting when it comes to hearing God (for some people). I like his perspective so much because he really looks at all of the disciplines as tools in our spiritual toolbelt and if we use them the right way, they can be very powerful and effective. But it's easy to become religious (and self-righteous) when we do the disciplines for the sake of the discipline itself.

Sara, I also find the concept about "finding the right spiritual discipline to develop the area that is lacking in your life" very helpful! I haven't read that book yet, but the idea makes a lot of sense to me! I think it would be true for me that developing the disciplines of silence and solitude would be more effective than fasting for hearing from God (hunger can be very distracting!).  But that's not to say I don't see the value in fasting, the assignments this week have been helpful and I understand more specifically how fasting can be an important tool for my life that I would benefit from practicing on a regular basis. I also like the idea that using the disciplines as tools for intentional purposes is a safeguard against doing it out of religiosity. Thank you for sharing that!